PCAP Modules and Packages Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✓

  2 + 3 * 4: 14

  Why this is correct

  Correct. Python's operator precedence rules dictate that multiplication (*) is evaluated before addition (+), even when the multiplication appears to the right of the addition. Thus 3 * 4 is computed first, yielding 12, and then 2 + 12 gives the result 14. This is a direct application of standard mathematical precedence, not a left-to-right evaluation.

• ✓

  (2 + 3) * 4: 20

  Why this is correct

  Correct. Parentheses override Python's default operator precedence and force the addition to be evaluated first. The expression inside the parentheses, 2 + 3, is computed to produce 5, and then the multiplication by 4 yields 20. This demonstrates that grouping symbols explicitly control evaluation order, which is essential when the intended operation sequence differs from operator precedence.

• ✗

  2 ** 3: 6

  Why it's wrong here

  Incorrect. The correct output of 2 ** 3 is 8, because the exponentiation operator (**) raises 2 to the third power, meaning 2 * 2 * 2. The value 6 would result from multiplying 2 by 3 (2 * 3), which is a different operation. This mistake likely stems from confusing exponentiation with ordinary multiplication.

• ✗

  10 // 3: 1

  Why it's wrong here

  Incorrect. In Python, the // operator performs floor division, which for 10 // 3 gives the integer quotient 3, since 3 goes into 10 exactly 3 times with a remainder. The value 1 is actually the remainder of the division, which would be obtained using the modulo operator: 10 % 3. Floor division always returns the largest integer less than or equal to the exact quotient when both operands are positive, so the result cannot be 1.

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